<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>My Little Poppet by Anonymous</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28085823">My Little Poppet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>+ dream also seeing himself in Tommy, Abandonment, Doesnt stop him tho 😔, Dream helps tie Tommy's hair at one point, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, I like the idea of Dream knowingly emotionally manipulating Tommy, Manipulation, Stockholm Syndrome, Touch-Starved, but on his end he also grows a sense of attachment to Tommy, hugs!, i wrote this bc my friend was talking about tommy with longer hair so, implied character death (wilbur)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:49:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28085823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy had received a few gifts ever since his exile had begun, but they always claimed that they weren’t out of pity, yet if they really weren’t out of pity, they wouldn’t have bothered to mention it. The only gift that had felt genuine had been the iron armour that Dream had given him and he felt that whatever Dream was giving him this time would be just as true.<br/>--<br/>In which Dream gives Tommy a cute hair tie and spends time with him, with emotional manipulation sprinkled in ofc.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), non romantic - Relationship, platonic - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>My Little Poppet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gentle sea breeze brushed against his skin as he stared at the sunset-painted waves. He made no attempt to get up despite the main light source transitioning from the sun to the torches that littered the beach.</p><p>Tommy found it funny that this was the very beach that had chairs and tables ready to welcome those who had accepted his invites just a few days ago. Those chairs and tables never did get to fulfil their purpose. </p><p>His exile had given him a lot of time alone, it had given him a lot of time to realise just how lonely he was. Sure, at the start he had Ghostbur with him, and sure he was grateful for him sticking with him, but there had been something so heart wrenching about being stuck alone with an imitation of his older brother. And then when it had been the day of the beach party, he didn’t even show up, and his whereabouts had remained unknown to Tommy since. The only constant living being that he had had in his life since the exile had been Dream. With his almost daily visits, he found himself missing his presence whenever he was gone.</p><p>When they had first arrived at the island, he had hated Dream’s guts. He hated how unnerved he felt whenever he was under the gaze of the two emotionless dots on Dreams mask. He had despised being forced to give up his possession and being forced to watch them get destroyed in front of him. The very presence of Dream had left him gritting his teeth and clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly in anger. He had wanted to fight against him so badly, the only things that had stopped him from throwing a punch had been the vast difference in their gear，a death threat and a promise that L’Manburg would suffer if he did anything foolish.</p><p>However, as the days had gone by, Dream had become more tolerable and he had lost the desire to fight him every time he saw him – Hell, Tommy had even begun enjoying his company. With visits from everyone else being rare, he had learnt to appreciate the time he had with others, even if it was Dream. It wasn’t so bad, they shared jokes, and chatted a lot, sometimes they would talk about the most mundane things and other times, as Dream protected him from any mobs that came too close, they would talk about L’Manburg. Well, it was more so Dream updating him on the status of L’Manburg, about how it had been thriving as a nation ever since he had been exiled, how it had been healing due to the peace that came without his destructive tendencies. </p><p>Whenever they spoke about L’Manburg, Tommy couldn’t help but feel an aching sadness run through him. Of course, he wanted to be happy that L’Manburg was finally able to grow after all the chaos and destruction that it had faced, but any happiness he felt had always been overridden by the heavy feeling in his chest that came with the whisper in his head that reminded him that he had been holding L’Manburgs progress back, that everyone had happily been going on with their lives thanks to his exile. </p><p>Well, not everyone. Dream still took the time to visit him often, spent time with him and helped him ignore the painful loneliness that consumed him in every waking moment. Dream had made the effort to come to his beach party despite him being busy beforehand. Dream had been there when he felt that he was at his lowest, let him keep his armour for his party. Dream had even lent him his trident and let him propel up into the sky from the water, had made him think of old times where Phil would carry him as they soared through the skies from their home to the nearby town. Dream was the only one who stayed with him when everyone else had moved on. Dream offered comfort and friendship when he had no one, and who was he to reject it.</p><p>Speaking of Dream, he hadn’t visited him that day. Tommy assumed that he was busy, pushing back the worry that he had somehow pissed off Dream and he no longer wanted anything to do with him, the worry that he was completely alone once again. </p><p>A wave of exhaustion suddenly hit him, yet he didn’t want to sleep and deal with the nightmares of the days of Pogtopia, of Wilbur’s spiral into insanity. He feared the memory of Wilbur’s deathly grip on his shoulders as he had gone on his insane ramble, eyes filled with intense rage and mania. He feared sleep, feared having to wake up to Wilburs sing-song voice echoing in his head. Yet, he longed for tomorrow to arrive faster – longed for the chance that Dream would visit him tomorrow.</p><p>The wind picking up dragged Tommy out of his thoughts. It messed up his hair, not that it was very neat in the first place, blowing some of it to cover his eyes. He sighed and brought a hand up to his head, attempting to shift it out of the way. It was getting kind of long, maybe he could find something to cut it. He pushed himself up, tired eyes casting a glance at the abyss of an ocean before he made his way towards his small tent.  </p><p>When Tommy got back to his tent, he was greeted by a welcome surprise. A familiar green that he’d found comfort and joy in seeing was there and he felt his heart rate pick up with excitement. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Tommy.”</p><p>The simple greeting brought Tommy joy, joy that he had been fleeting in recent days. He scrambled to get his armour off, tossing it into the nearby pit along with any weapons that he had before lighting the TNT that was already waiting there and tossing the flint and steel in as well. He used to be angry about the destruction of his possessions, but now he would gladly destroy them a million times more just to make sure he didn’t piss off Dream and make him leave. </p><p>“Sorry I didn’t get rid of the stuff faster- I didn’t think you were coming today.” He rushed to get the words out hoping that his tardiness wouldn’t bother Dream too much, he just, wouldn’t be able to take it if he was all alone again. He couldn’t take it if another person left him.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, it’s good that you got rid of it by yourself, I’m proud of you Tommy.” </p><p>And if Dream’s tone sounded sickeningly sweet, Tommy didn’t notice, or maybe he didn’t acknowledge it. He instead just hooked onto the praise, enjoying  the feeling of happiness that it brought him. Dream was proud of him, that was all he could ask for right then and there. The happier Dream was with him, the less likely he’d be abandoned by him, right? It wouldn’t end up like how it ended up with everyone else right? He wouldn’t have no-</p><p>“Hey Tommy, can you sit here for a sec? I wanna try something.” </p><p>“Yeah sure.” Having been too caught up in his thoughts earlier, he had failed to notice that there was a stool set up slightly away from his bed. He plopped himself onto it, wondering what Dream was planning to do as the other took a seat on the edge of his bed. </p><p>Fingers intertwined into the locks of his hair and his shoulders tensed at the contact. The feeling of someone else felt unfamiliar and strange to him after such a long time. He tried to recall when the last time someone else had done anything like given him a hug or even ruffled his hair and he realised that it had been when L’Manburg had been newly formed. Before all the wars, before all the loss, before Wilbur spiralled into insanity, before he had lost his family and long, long before he had been exiled. It really had been a simpler time then, hadn’t it?</p><p>“Relax Tommy, I’m here.” Dream mumbled as he began running his fingers through Tommy’s hair. </p><p>Gentle motions worked at straightening out the tangles in his hair and the masked man begun humming a soft tune – a lullaby that made Tommy think about an endless grass field with a large tree standing tall and proud at the centre, providing shelter from bright rays of sunshine to anyone who sought it out. He imagined he could fall asleep under the shade of the tree to the tune of the lullaby, just like he had similarly done so to melodies being played on a guitar when he was smaller and didn’t have a care in the world. </p><p>The fingers eventually left the straightened-out mess of Tommy’s hair and a flash of panic ran through the boy, his breath quickening as his fear that Dream was going to leave began to surface. That fear was quickly dispelled when the fingers returned, this time gently pressing against the temples of his forehead. As they began to rub circular patterns into them, Tommy felt any tension from the sudden panic leave his body. His shoulders relaxed and he felt his eyes close as a warm, cozy feeling ran through him. He felt safe, Dream made him feel safe and in the comfort of his little tent that was pitched up in Logsteadshire, Tommy felt himself begin to cry.</p><p>“I’m- I’m s-“He tried to get out between sobs. </p><p>“You don’t have to apologise for crying Tommy, it’s ok, just cry it all out. Even though everyone else has left and forgotten about you, I’m still here. I’m the only one who you’ve got and I promise that I won’t leave you as long as you do what I expect of you.” He put extra care into making sure that his tone was comforting and consoling despite the absolute glee that ran through him and showed in the form of a cruel and sadistic smile that was hidden behind his porcelain mask.</p><p>It took a moment before Tommy replied, sobs chasing away silence before he shakily inhaled and softly mumbled, “Thank you, Dream.”</p><p>“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I got you a small gift.” </p><p>“Really?” Sure, Tommy had received a few gifts ever since his exile had begun, but they always claimed that they weren’t out of pity, yet if they really weren’t out of pity, they wouldn’t have bothered to mention it. The only gift that had felt genuine had been the iron armour that Dream had given him and he felt that whatever Dream was giving him this time would be just as true. Out of curiosity he turned to face the other, watching him as he searched for something in the pockets of his hoodie.</p><p>“Here it is,” he said as he finally managed to find what he was looking for, bringing his hands out of his pockets and presenting Tommy with his gift. In his hands was a lime green hair tie that had the small figure of a baby slime attached to it. “I noticed that your hair’s been getting pretty long recently, and I figured it’d also make a good gift for how well you’ve been doing too.”</p><p>Now, Tommy’s sobbing had mostly calmed down to just sniffling and occasional tears, but at seeing the gift, he couldn’t stop his tears from pouring out faster.</p><p> </p><p>“What, don’t like it?”</p><p> </p><p>“No no, I love it- I-Thank you Dream.”</p><p>“I’m glad you do, now c’mere.” </p><p>Arms wrapped around Tommy and pulled him into a hug and he couldn’t help but grip onto the other’s hoodie, soaking a part of it in tears. Hands gently rubbed at his back, soothing him as he leaned further into the embrace. </p><p>“Just remember Tommy, you only have me.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>They stayed like that for a while, it was only when Tommy’s crying had died down and he was left enjoying the comfort that had become so rare these days did Dream, with his fingers carding through Tommy’s hair again, finally break the silence.</p><p>“Let me tie your hair for you?”</p><p> </p><p>And Tommy simply nodded, slightly upset that the hug was ending but turned around nonetheless when Dream let go.</p><p>It was quiet as Dream began brushing his fingers through Tommy’s hair again. After a moment he brought his hair into a ponytail, with one hand holding it in place, he used the other to pull the hair tie off his wrist before twisting it and tugging it higher up the ponytail.</p><p>“Well, I don’t have a mirror with me, but I think it suits you. You should tie your hair like this more.” </p><p>Dream placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, grip not too tight, yet not lose, perfectly in between, comforting. It made Tommy realise just how tired he was. He’d been abandoned and betrayed over and over, but in the end, it was him and Dream. Sure, they had rough moments, but horrible situations really did show people’s true colours.</p><p>“If you’re tired you should sleep.” </p><p>It was like he knew what he was thinking, not like it was hard to see. Dream shifted himself slightly, using the hand on Tommy’s shoulder to guide him to lying down on the bed, he himself perched at the edge of it. Brushing loose strands of hair out of the way of Tommy’s face, Dream started humming the same lullaby from earlier. He couldn’t help but smile faintly behind his mask as he watched Tommy slowly drift off to sleep. Sometimes, his eyes would crack open slightly, as if he was trying to fight against falling asleep, but it wouldn’t be long before he realised that he was safe, that he was with Dream, that Dream was going to protect him, and his eyes would shut again. </p><p>“Dream?” It was barely louder than a whisper.</p><p>“Yes?” </p><p> </p><p>“Am I selfish?”</p><p>And Dream remembered eyes full of hurt, full of betrayal, glaring at him. He remembered glasses hiding eyes that he knew were doing the same. He remembered tears falling down their faces. He remembered the small distance between him and them feeling like millions and trillions of miles. He remembered facing the consequences of his impulsive actions. He remembered the regret that suffocated him after all the yelling had been done and they had left him. He remembered the unbearable sadness that had drowned him, filled his lungs. He remembered when it had become too much and escaped in the form of tears falling to the ground. He hated the distance that he had forced between them with his rage-filled words and he wished that he had never said them in the first place.</p><p>Snoring brought him out of his thoughts. Looking at Tommy he found that the boy looked peaceful. As though he hadn’t been the one who had brought so much chaos in the first place. Dream could only sigh as he shifted his mask up slightly before pressing a kiss on Tommy’s forehead.</p><p>“However selfish you are, I am equally, my little poppet.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>1.<br/>an endearingly sweet or pretty child (often used as an affectionate form of address).<br/>2.<br/>In folk magic and witchcraft, a poppet is a doll made to represent a person, for casting spells on that person or to aid that person through magic.<br/>Also the lullaby Dream is humming in this is Isabella's lullaby from the promised neverland<br/>-<br/>if you're that that one specific friend of mine who recognizes my writing even though i told you i swore of writing<br/>shut up no you don't</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>